CHAPTER 429: CHAPTER 371: MUU EMPEROR’S EIGHT STEEDS, SHEBI CORPSE’S ELIXIR.

16th year of King Mu of Zhou.

The Emperor launched the eastward campaign, mobilizing thirty-two divisions alongside the three armies. A force of one hundred thousand soldiers, combined with logistical support from one hundred thousand civilian workers, made up a total of two hundred thousand troops, collectively declared as the fifty-thousand strong army.

Including the allied forces from surrounding vassal states, the total strength reached three hundred and fifty thousand troops.

The Great Zhou boasted an army of one million.

Though exaggerated, the visual impact was undeniably striking.

The supreme commanders of the three armies included Marquis Lvu, the Thunder God, and the Nine-Tailed Yellow Dragon.

They marched forth, conquering cities and territories, invincible in their path.

16th year of King Mu of Zhou.

The Emperor’s forces allied with Qi and Lu, advancing toward the major tribes of Eastern Yi.

The army moved eastward for five hundred miles, breaking through Xunzhuang Mountain, Bolei Mountain, Gao Mountain, and Gushes Mountain. At the Black Teeth Yi Country—known for their rice-eating and snake-wielding inhabitants—six thousand were beheaded.

Their monarch, Rain Master Concubine, was captured alive.

17th year of King Mu of Zhou.

The forces crushed the Mao Min Country, the Lao Min Country, and the Xuangu Country.

The Lai Yi allied at Mai Qiu.

An alliance led by the Shebi Corpse Country assembled all its strength to confront the Great Zhou in a decisive battle.

The Shebi Corpse Country possessed a god—a deity with a human face, canine ears, and a beast-like body adorned with two green snakes. Its name was Shebi Corpse.

An alien god of Emperor Realm (tribulation crossing).

As the two armies clashed, the Zhou forces suffered defeat, retreating over ten miles with a loss of five thousand troops.

This was the greatest setback since the eastward campaign began.

Haojing.

Zao Fu returned, leading eight majestic horses.

Zao Fu knelt and reported to the Emperor:

"Your Majesty, I have fulfilled my mission and finally found the Divine Horses."

"The first is named Absolute Land, whose hooves never touch the earth; the second is named Turning Feather, capable of surpassing flying birds; the third is named Night Gallop, able to travel ten thousand miles under the cover of darkness; the fourth is named Shadow Surpasser, chasing the sun itself; the fifth is named Brilliance Exceeding, whose coat shines vividly; the sixth is named Light Beyond, capable of casting ten shadows; the seventh is named Mist Rider, galloping atop the clouds; and the eighth is named Winged Supporter, possessing fleshy wings."

Each of the eight horses possessed divine powers, unparalleled in their marvel.

"Very well! I hereby appoint you as Duke Zhao."

Song Lin was elated.

Soon after, he ascended the Sun Jade Car, pulled by the eight divine horses.

Swish!

The horses galloped with incredible speed, traversing seven thousand miles almost instantaneously to reach the battlefield.

From amidst the myriad troops emerged a colossal figure.

With a human face, canine ears, and the body of a tiger, it stood upright in a humanoid form, its ears adorned with two blue serpents.

The figure towered over three thousand zhang tall, spewing crimson demonic flames from its mouth.

Wherever it went, armies collapsed, and countless soldiers perished in the flames.

Marquis Lvu and the Thunder God, along with others, were forced to retreat.

This deity emitted a stench akin to decaying corpses, its flesh visibly rotting in several areas.

This was none other than the legendary Shebi Corpse.

One of the ancient, powerful corpses.

The moment Shebi Corpse appeared, the tattooed and disheveled barbarians knelt to worship it,

with some fanatics even going as far as to pierce their own cheeks in fervor.

Shebi Corpse appeared indifferent, stepping slowly toward the Zhou Dynasty’s army.

Boom, boom, boom...

Each step left a massive crater on the ground.

Its scalding body created deep pits of magma in its wake.

The people of Great Zhou were struck with despair, their faces pale as death, watching helplessly as the enemy charged forward.

It was too powerful!

"Great General, should we retreat?"

The subordinates advised.

Marquis Lvu remained motionless, his gaze gradually firming.

"To face danger and die for the Emperor, I shall not retreat! The Great Zhou must not retreat!"

The eastward campaign was the Emperor’s largest military venture since ascending the throne.

A retreat in this battle would annihilate the reputation the Great Zhou had built over years.

Even in death, they had to exhibit their resolve.

Boom, boom, boom!

Shebi Corpse continued its slow approach.

In the midst of despair, a streak of tunneling light arrived from the horizon.

It was none other than the Emperor himself, arriving in his divine carriage.

"Die!"

The Eight Sceneries Divine Sword transformed into tens of thousands of blades.

They rained down like a torrential downpour.

Swish, swish!

Ding, ding, clang...

Most of the divine swords struck Shebi Corpse’s body but bounced off its tough, hardened skin. Even those that pierced its flesh inflicted no significant damage—it was, after all, already a corpse. What more harm could death bring?

However, it was far from over.

Song Lin activated his Nine-Transformation Indestructible Body.

Their two formidable physiques clashed violently.

The Twelve Cloud Seals spun like stars, while the Five Mountains True Form Map, imbued with immense power, crashed down.

Although Shebi Corpse’s body slightly caved in, it sustained almost no harm.

Song Lin was secretly astonished. Such a strong body rivaled the Nine-Transformation Indestructible Body.

The Nine-Transformation Indestructible Body depended on divine abilities activated temporarily; when unused, the body returned to normal.

Shebi Corpse’s strength, on the other hand, was inherent in its flesh.

However, it was still insufficient. Its physical strength alone could bully ordinary cultivators but posed little challenge to Song Lin, who wielded numerous spells.

The Eight Sceneries Divine Sword Talisman released thousands of divine swords to disrupt, while the Five Mountains True Form Map restrained its movements.

The 72 Transformations juggled Shebi Corpse like a monkey in a circus.

Boom!

Song Lin landed a punch that sent Shebi Corpse sprawling onto the barbarian army, crushing many beneath its massive frame.

He then sealed it inside the Lord’s Eight Trigrams Furnace.

Thus, peace was restored in Qingzhou.

The third tripod of the realm illuminated.

Returning to the Longevity Palace, he gazed at the activated third tripod.

The mouth of the tripod opened, releasing an earthy yellow gas.

This represented the third layer of the Qiankun Treasure—Imperial Earth.

Earth possessed a dense, heavy nature. Unlike water, which was soft and nurturing, it bore the capacity to carry the weight of all things.

As Song Lin pondered over how to cultivate the third layer and what techniques to master, he thought of Shebi Corpse’s flesh.

"If I could replicate its body, wouldn’t that make the Nine-Transformation Indestructible Body even stronger?"

The Nine-Transformation Indestructible Body remained a divine ability, unable to permanently enhance physical resilience. It consumed larger amounts of mana upon activation and lacked Shebi Corpse’s divine power and regeneration capacity.

If its flesh could be refined into Song Lin’s own body, his strength would skyrocket, vastly improving his chance against wind tribulation.

Three days later, Song Lin convened the court.

He divided vassal states and conferred titles upon the two sons of the deceased King Zhao, making them rulers of Jil Country and Ju Country. He further bestowed titles upon various meritorious individuals, establishing vassal states in Lai Country, Xue Country, Zhu Country, Rong Country, Guo Country, Zeng Country, Su Country, Teng Country...

He created twenty vassal states in one fell swoop.

For Song Lin, this was a prudent move. Educating barbarians was an arduous task, taking at least several generations of gradual transformation.

It was better to delegate governance to vassals, who could manage affairs themselves. Perhaps the prevalence of feudalism stemmed partly from such considerations.

Killing was easy; transforming hearts was difficult.

Song Lin summoned Jun Ya, saying, "Inform the monarch of Xu Country to exchange western territories for eastern ones. Will they agree?"

Song Lin intended to expand the Central Plains, relocate vassals outward, and secure all of Yuzhou, thereby establishing a Central State capable of exerting influence in all directions.

This would ensure readiness for conflict anywhere.

"Very well, I will negotiate."

Afterward, Song Lin entered seclusion.

He summoned the Eight Trigrams Furnace, where Shebi Corpse remained engulfed in Fiery Fire.

Its flesh, not inferior to the Nine-Transformation Indestructible Body, was being refined by Song Lin as he drew in Imperial Earth Qi to create pills within the furnace.

Upon completing the refinement into a new Nine-Transformation Indestructible Body, he would project transcendent spells into reality and prepare himself for tribulation crossing.

Time slowly passed.

The eastward campaign remained unfinished; parts of the Yanz State were yet to be recovered. The army regrouped and prepared to advance.

Beyond the battlefield, the struggle for inheritance had intensified, with Taoist factions clashing both overtly and covertly.

Spirit Treasure Dao.

Xuan Hee approached the Celestial Master and reported, "Celestial Master, the other factions are backed by two alliances supporting one prince, whereas we have only one alliance. The two alliances in Lingnan supporting the Third Prince are gaining momentum, posing a potential threat to us. Shall we... take action?"

The Spirit Treasure Celestial Master contemplated briefly and said, "Invite the Heavenly Turtle Crown Prince from the Demon Islands to visit, but do not use my name. For now, proceed this way..."

Xuan Hee nodded at the suggestion.

Collusion between demons and Daoist alliances was not uncommon; Xuan Hee himself had been involved in paying tribute to demon clans before.

Three days later...

A streak of pitch-black tunneling light descended upon the Spirit Treasure Sect.

A towering man with pitch-black skin and clad in xuan armor arrived alone.

This was none other than the Third Crown Prince of the South Sea Sky Turtle Clan.

Beholding the stares from all around, the Crown Prince bore not a shred of humility as an outsider and instead glared fiercely back.

"Taoist Fellow, this way please."

Xuan Hee and Ling Xun appeared, leading the Crown Prince into a cave mansion.

"Why have you invited me here?"

The Crown Prince snorted coldly. Although the cultivation level of the two before him was comparable to his own, he held them in utter contempt—neither mortal nor spirit, as he saw it.

Practicing demonic methods within a human form, always claiming to resist demons, yet coveting the strength of the Demon Clan.

"Please wait a moment, Crown Prince."

Shortly after, Chuu Yuying and Zhou Zhi, along with Taixuan, arrived.

Five Killings and Song Lin remained in seclusion and could not attend.

"Assist us by harassing the territories of the Lingnan Third Prince’s vassal states from the South Sea for about ten years," Xuan Hee said bluntly.

"What is in it for us?" the Crown Prince asked.

"Eighty million dharma coins, eight thousand boys and girls, six hundred magic artifacts, and five hundred pounds of pills."

After some bargaining...

"Also, you may not attack the lands controlled by the Heaven and Earth Xuanmen Alliance. We will supervise the Demon Army’s movements."

The Crown Prince let out a mocking laugh and said, "You know us well... as barbarians, we may cause some collateral damage unintentionally. We won’t accept that term."

Xuan Hee contemplated momentarily and said, "Feel free to wreak havoc along the coastal areas, but ensure the Taoists of the Heaven and Earth Xuanmen Alliance remain unharmed."

He thought briefly—if the South Sea Sky Turtle Clan only targeted the southern regions and avoided the southeast, it would be too conspicuous. Might as well put on a show.

The southeastern coast near Wu Country is home to the Heaven and Earth Xuanmen Alliance, while the southern coast is under the control of Black Heaven Law Realm and Witch God Heavenly King Dao Alliance. Their plan was aimed at creating obstacles for the Third Prince.

One by one, potential threats would be eliminated.

No one objected except Chuu Yuying, who hesitated but dared not speak up.

"So be it!"

The meeting adjourned.

The proceedings were classified as top secret and no leakage was permitted.

Chuu Yuying later reported the events to Tianhe. The Heavenly Master was allowed access to such secrets, so this did not violate regulations.

Tianhe pondered briefly, his mind filled with calculations.

"Demon Clan... Heavenly Turtle... Elephant Clan..."

For some reason, Tianhe recalled the Elephant Clan Crown Prince who had been killed by Song Lin.

Perhaps this was an opportunity to strike at Donghua?

With this thought, he summoned the Dragon Lord Ao Qing. Tianhe did not reveal the full truth but hinted at the imminent actions of the Heavenly Turtle Clan to stir unrest in Lingnan. He explored possibilities to divert trouble toward Donghua Jungle.

Holy Might Dao Sect bordered the Yuzhen Sect in the east. While the Yuzhen Sect was coastal, Holy Might Dao did not. However, Donghua Jungle had a five-hundred-mile stretch of coastline where the cloud flows of Yun River merged with Ling River to form an outlet to the sea.

"Coincidentally, I have connections within the Heavenly Turtle Clan," laughed the Dragon Lord heartily, seizing on the opportunity.

...

In the story’s world, Song Lin completed his alchemy. The pill was named Shebi Corpse Golden Pill, categorized as a treasure pill.

Yet, it was not yet time for consumption. It required gradual refinement and Rejuvenation Pill processes, waiting until the sixth transformation phase to be consumed.

Once ingested, Song Lin would summon wind tribulation immediately.

...